Plastic and other film produce bags are commonly used in supermarkets, grocery stores and other markets where sanitation and ease of use in limited spaces are important factors. These bags have advantages in that they are relatively inexpensive to produce, provide substantial carrying capacity and may include easy opening features. In order to make these bags easier to handle and use, they are usually used in combination with a dispensing rack. As the bag roll decreases in size as bags are removed from the roll, it is important that the remaining bag roll stay within the dispenser and not fall out onto the floor of the store or market, as this can lead to accidents. It is also important that the bag dispenser be easy to refill and provide visual cues when refilling becomes necessary. The dispenser should be easy to clean and take up a minimum of space. Various designs have been developed for dispensing roll mounted bags, although none provide all of the features of the present invention.
Materials used for the construction of dispensers for roll mounted bags can have a significant effect upon the suitability of the dispensing system for different environments. Traditionally, such dispensing racks have been fabricated from steel wire and plate that is then chrome plated or painted. Such construction has the advantage of rigidity and longevity, but is also subject to rust, and corrosion in damp environments. In addition, such dispensers are heavy and relatively expensive to produce. To address these problems associated with steel and other metal dispensing racks, the inventor has turned to modem, high strength plastics for rack construction. For the purposes of this application, it should be understood that “wire” should be accorded it broadest reasonable reading. Wire need not be conductive, made of metal or have a solid core. In some embodiments chrome or nickel plated metal will be desirable, in other embodiments polymer coated metal, or non-metallic wire such as polyoxymethylene, also known as polyacetal, acetal resin, polytrioxane, polyformaldehyde, commonly known as DuPont Delrin®, may be used. Structural rigidity, porosity and resistance to moisture absorption are important criteria in selecting the appropriate materials. Any material now known or later discovered, possessing sufficient rigidity, and not susceptible to significant moisture absorption may be used. Material specifically contemplated by the inventor include, without limitation, high density polyethylene (HDPE), high molecular weight polyethylene, polycarbonate; sold under such trade names as Lexan®, Markrolon® and Calibre®, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, known as ABS, and poly amide 66, also know as DuPont Nylon 66® or Zytel®. For purposes of this application, the term wire will be understood to include materials made from ferrous and non-ferrous metals, coated and uncoated, and various polymeric materials such as plastics, including but not limited to, those described above.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,481,594, issued to Yeh et al. is directed to a roll mounted T-shirt style produce bag and dispensers for same. The dispensers are used for roll mounted plastic produce bags and include a supporting base with a surrounding upper member. The dispenser includes a pair of front edge members and a pair of rear edge members which are configured to receive and slidably constrain first and second ends of a cylindrical produce bag core on which the bags are wound into a roll. Thus, these front and rear edges are provided in order to hold a small bag roll from falling out of the dispenser. Further, the dispensers include a constraining ring that includes upper and lower separating tongues which are fixed to the hag constraining ring. Thus, the roll may be arranged to dispense bags from either the top or bottom of the roll utilizing either the upper or lower separating tongues each of which engage the U-shaped cutout in the upper portion of hag. Pre-Grant Publication 2005/0098600, published for the same inventor, is directed to a streamlined folded T-shirt style produce hag for roll mounting and shows a dispenser with both upper and lower separating tongues fixed to a bag constraining ring.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,561,403 and 5,914,535, both issued to Kannankeril et al., disclose a bag separator and dispenser and a bag dispensing system. Both of these references show a variety of bag dispenser systems that are used to dispense vertically folded produce bags and include side shields or protectors in order to prevent the rolled systems from falling out of the dispensers.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,450,380, 6,279,806 and 6,450,380 issued to Simhaee are all directed to a plastic hag dispenser and again, a variety of dispensers that utilize either cored rolls or non-core rolls with dispensers that show side retaining capabilities so that the rolls do not fall from the dispenser are seen.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,966,473, issued to Hayden is directed to a wrapping material dispenser system wherein a flat wrapping material 24 is dispensed from a rolled quantity of the material 24 held within the dispenser system 10 comprising a housing 12 with a bottom wall 14 and a perimeter wall 16. The to portion 18 of housing 12 has a slit 22 through which the material 24 is dispensed. Of particular importance is the fact that material 24 may be dispensed toward a front perimeter wall 16 as well as toward a rear perimeter wall so that a portion may be obtained by cutting utilizing one of a pair of cutter assemblies 28 each with blade portion 38 so that the material may be pulled toward the front or rear of the dispenser.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,734 is directed to a tape dispenser and U.S. Pat. No. 2,462,776 is directed to a cover for open tissue roll holders and both of these references provide additional examples of material dispensed from a rolled material and pulled in one of two different directions with cutters or edges provided in each direction so that a portion of the material may be available in each of the pulled directions.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,128,251 issued to Galle is directed to a stackable bag and roll dispensing system wherein the dispenser includes a support member 12 and a stop bar 13 which are used to retain the roll of bags within the dispenser in order to prevent it from falling out. Again, the dispensing system seen in this reference is used for dispensing thermoplastic bags from a roll of bags that are of the vertically folded type.
While other variations exist, the above-described designs for roll mounted bag dispensers are typical of those encountered in the prior art. It is an objective of the present invention to provide for a compact roll-mounted hag dispenser that takes up a minimum of floor or counter spaces and that can dispense bags train the front or rear of the dispenser. It is a further objective to provide a dispenser that will not permit a bag roll to be inadvertently ejected or removed from the dispenser. It is yet a further objective to provide a dispenser that will work with bags on cored rolls where the core is either flush with the bag roll sides or protruding. It is a still further objective of the invention to provide a dispenser that will work with careless bag rolls. Finally, it is an objective of the invention to provide a hag dispenser that is sturdy, easy to clean and economical to produce.
While some of the objectives of the present invention are disclosed in the prior art, none of the inventions found include all of the requirements identified.